ellen tordesillas – Page 60 – Making life worth living.

Will Aquino frustrate Roxas’ presidential dream again?

Published by Ellen on June 17, 2015

Who will be PNoy's choice? — Who will be PNoy’s choice?

The call of Liberal Party’s Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice for Sen. Grace Poe to be more transparent on the issue of her residency in the Philippines signals the drawing of the line between Poe and the Liberal Party’s presidential bet, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.

Erice was quoted as saying that he believes that the lady senator, whose surging popularity makes her the frontrunner in the 2016 presidential elections, is a natural born Filipino citizen and should have no problem with the Constitutional requirement of citizenship for the presidency.

Erice said it’s in the requirement of a 10-year residency immediately preceding before the election that it’s not clear whether Poe is qualified or not. “”Si Senator Poe is a natural born Filipino, wala dapat mag-question doon. But I think Senator Grace should be more transparent as far as accusation she’s been using US passport 2006, 2007, 2009, according to former Senator Tatad,” the LP congressman said.

Erice sounded like United Nationalist Alliance interim president and Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco who first exposed the issue of Poe’s residency after the lady senator turned down Vice President Jejomar Binay’s offer for her to be his running mate.

BEST: Binay-Jinggoy Estrada in 2016

Published by Ellen on June 14, 2015

Vice President Jejomar Binay and Makati Mayor Junjun Binay lead a rally to support themselves during Makati City's anniversary last June 11. — Vice President Jejomar Binay and Makati Mayor Junjun Binay lead a rally to support themselves during Makati City’s anniversary last June 11.

Vice President Jejomar Binay won’t be where he is now if he were not an astute political operator.

His strategies reflect a good grasp of the factors involved in the political game.

He must therefore have sensed that things are not going right for him after three of the political personalities he mentioned he is eyeing to be a running mate in 2016 elections turned him down.
It gives the impression that no one wants to be associated with him.

Last month, Binay floated the idea of having Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte as running mate for the 2016 elections.

Duterte, who has stopped saying that he will kill the person behind the Duterte-for-president-movement and is now thinking of running for the highest post in the land, declined the offer.

More tourists and excellent dimsum from Taiwan to Manila

Published by Ellen on June 12, 2015

Taiwan Representative Gary Song-Huann Lin

At the reunion of Filipinos who have been to Taiwan upon the invitation of Taiwan government last week, Dr. Gary Song-Huann Lin, head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Manila, announced a number of good things that would strengthen relations between the Philippines and the Republic of China.

The one that I was interested in was the information that the famous Taiwanese dimsum restaurant, Din Tai Fung, will soon be in Manila.

The other welcome announcement was the increase of flights between Taiwan and the Philippines.

These developments show that despite institutional diplomacy limitations, relations between the Philippines and Taiwan continues to improve.

A wealth of stories from the Murillo Velarde map

Published by Ellen on June 10, 2015

Looking at the almost 300- year-old Philippine map by Fr. Pedro Murillo Velarde which businessman Mel Velarde acquired for P12 million in an auction in London last year, one can see that the Jesuit priest is a great storyteller.

The 1734 Murillo Velarde map shows more than just locations. It has two panels on both sides engraved with images depicting lifestyles and special features of places. One panel shows a farmer plowing the field not far from a river with crocodiles. It’s noted that in Zamboanga, there’s “Pozo de Agua Dulce.” In general it showed Filipinos enjoying a highly civilized society.

But the most significant feature of the Murillo Velarde map is a tiny spot off the shores of Nueva Castilla, which was then the name of Luzon labeled “Panacot.”

PH to submit 300-year-old map to UN in case vs China

Published by Ellen on June 7, 2015

By Ellen T. Tordesillas,VERA Files

The Philippine government will be submitting to the Permanent Court for Arbitration in The Hague this week an almost 300-year-old map of the Philippines showing the disputed Scarborough Shoal being part of Philippine territory as far back as three centuries ago.

The map debunks the so-called nine-dash-line China has been using as proof of its claim over the South China Sea. It also locates Scarborough shoal, then known as “Panacot,” also called “Panatag” by Filipinos, off the shores of Luzon, then known as Nueva Castilla. Scarborough shoal has been a source of conflict between the Philippines and China.

The Jesuit priest Pedro Murillo Velarde had the map published in Manila in 1734. It surfaced in 2012 among the possessions of a British lord, who put it up for auction at Sotheby’s in London, where Filipino businessman Mel Velarde bid and got it for £170,500 ($266,869.46 or P12,014,463.09).

Movies Filipinos can relate to in French Film Festival

Published by Ellen on June 7, 2015

In the movie “La Famille Bélier,” which is one of the featured movies in the ongoing 20th French Film Festival, there’s an election campaign because the father of the main character was running against the incumbent mayor.

Filipinos, who loves election campaigns, should be able to identify with the movie especially when the mayor was trying to look down on his opponent who was a deaf dairy farmer.

The mayor condescendingly asked Paula, the farmer’s 16-year old daughter who can hear and speak, if they really think anyone will vote for a deaf person for mayor. The young girl replied: “Well, they did vote for an asshole.”

That was a good one.

The President should know when to show off his knowledge of war history

Published by Ellen on June 4, 2015

President Aquino delivers his speech during the Nikkei 21st International Conference on the Future of Asia in Tokyo. Malacañang photo by Ryan Lim.

Much of the tension between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea territorial conflict would have been avoided if President Aquino knew when to keep his mouth shut.

In the 21st International Conference on the Future of Asia sponsored by Nikkei last Wednesday in Tokyo, Aquino was asked about the role of the United States in Asia in the midst of China’s maritime expansion, Aquino said American presence in Asia checks China’s expansionism. “Their presence becomes a factor that has to be contended with, with those who would perhaps push the envelopes as far as what the agreements entitle them to or not,” he said.

But he didn’t stop there.

Poe overtakes Binay in Magdalo survey of Lingayen-Lucena corridor

Published by Ellen on June 2, 2015

Sen. Grace Poe and Vice President Jejomar Binay

The latest survey conducted by the Magdalo Group among voters in vote-rich Lingayen-Lucena corridor has Sen. Grace Poe leading the 2016 presidential race.

Conducted two weeks ago (May 18 to 20) among 3,000 respondents, the Magdalo survey, just like what they did in their national survey last April,had two scenarios.

Scenario One had 10 candidates while Scenario Two had five candidates.

In both scenarios,Poe leads the contest.

Will Erap carry the torch for UNA if Binay withdraws?

Published by Ellen on June 1, 2015

Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, 2014 photo.

There are those who believe that if Vice President Jejomar Binay does not push through with his announced presidential bid in 2016, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada will carry the opposition torch.

I seriously doubt it.

And it all boils down to money- at least P10 billion needed to finance a presidential campaign.

Although Binay is putting up a brave front, the freezing of his bank accounts as ordered by the Court of Appeals has the effect of paralyzing his campaign.

Palitan na lang kaya ng dilaw ang kulay ng watawat ng Pilipinas

Published by Ellen on May 31, 2015

Sen. Bongbong Marcos after delivering the sponsorship speech to name Iloilo highways after parents of President Aquino and Leyte highway after his uncle.

Siguro naman seryoso si Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. sa kanyang pag-sponsor ng mga batas na ipangalan sa mga magulang ni Pangulong Aquino ang dalawang kalsada doon sa Panay.

Ang dalawang batas ay ideya ng mga kongresista na sina Arcadio H. Garriceta, Ronald M. Cosalan, Jerry P. Treñas, Arthur R. Defensor Jr., Neil C. Tiupas, Oscar “Richard” S. Garin Jr., atd Hernan G. Biron Jr. na nakasaad sa House Bills HB 4400 at HB 4398.

Nakasaad sa HB4400 na ipapangalan kay dating Pangulong Cory Aquino ang apat na lane na circumferential road simula sa kanto ng Iloilo-Dumangas Coastal Road sa Balabago, Jaro District, Iloilo City, papunta sa Buhang, Jaro, Tacas, Jaro at UngKa II, Pavia hanggang sa Mandurriao District, Iloilo City-Pavia-San Miguel . Aabot ang kalsada sa malapit Arevalo District sa Iloilo-Antique Road . Magiging “President Cory C. Aquino Avenue” ang kalsada.

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